Sydney Harbour Islands

Highlights

Explore Sydney Harbour islands

Adorning the beautiful stretch of Sydney Harbour, and part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, Sydney's Harbour Islands provide scenic and captivating excursions into the historic heart of the harbour. Visit the islands from a ferry leaving Circular Quay, where you can relax, picnic, explore or take in the view. Guided tours are available during the day and some nights.

The largest of the harbour islands, Cockatoo Island, offers guided tours, activities and overnight camping. This island has been home to convicts, a reformatory school, and one of Australia's biggest shipyards.

Book a tour on Goat Island to learn about Sydney's Aboriginal and colonial history or book a night tour to learn more about its colourful past. Book lunch in the middle of the harbour at the restaurant on Fort Denison, which combines stunning views with colonial history. Accessible by ferry or water taxi, this island is great for picnics or to have lunch at the cafe which is open daily for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a scrumptious brunch on Sunday.

If you're looking for things to do with the kids in Sydney, pack a picnic and enjoy a day out on a secret island. Matilda's Shark Island Ferry departs daily from Circular Quay. Shark Island was named for its sharklike shape, its sandy beaches and rocky foreshores. Drinking water and toilets are available.

Shark island is also the perfect place for a harbour picnic or to watch the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day. Over the past 70 years, the epic Rolex Sydney Hobart has become an icon of Australia's summer spectacles, beginning in the waters of Sydney Harbour and taking the international fleet a nail-biting 628 nautical miles to the finish line in the Derwent River, Hobart.

For a truly memorable New Year's Eve with epic views of Sydney's famous fireworks, secure a spot on Cockatoo, Shark, Clark or Goat islands, which are open to a limited number of visitors (bookings essential).